Pompano Beach Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Pompano Beach
- City
- Pompano Beach
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 26.2379
- Longitude
- -80.1248
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.67
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 20%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Pompano Beach: The Practical Verdict
Pompano Beach is a suburban area in Florida with considerable light pollution typical of the region. The urban brightness results in a severe urban sky, rated as Bortle Class 9, meaning the Milky Way is not visible at all.
Observing conditions focus predominantly on the Moon, bright planets, double stars, and narrowband imaging with care. Most visual deep-sky targets are unfeasible due to overwhelming sky brightness.
The best upgrade for markedly darker skies is the City of Freeport located around 175 km east-north-east, with significantly clearer views for deep-sky observing and imaging.
At a Glance
- Overall
- Severe urban sky - This is a severely light-polluted urban sky. Only the Moon, planets, bright stars, and a few specialist targets remain practical.
- Milky Way
- Not visible - The Milky Way is not visible from this sky.
- Best targets from here
- Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events, narrowband imaging only with care
- Do not prioritise
- visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, widefield Milky Way
- Best nearby upgrade
- City of Freeport sits about 177 km east north east and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 36x darker.
- Good dark window
- Pompano Beach's longest dark windows fall in December and January, with the shortest nights around June and July. Plan deep-sky sessions around the autumn and winter months for the best combination of long nights and true astronomical darkness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Pompano Beach?
No. Pompano Beach is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.67, so the Milky Way is not visible from the city. For Milky Way photography, look for a Bortle 4 or darker site.
What Bortle class is Pompano Beach?
Pompano Beach is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.67), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Pompano Beach good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Pompano Beach is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Pompano Beach good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Pompano Beach and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Pompano Beach without careful processing.
What can you observe from Pompano Beach?
Primary targets from Pompano Beach include Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.
Where are darker skies near Pompano Beach?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Turkey Foot, Florida, about 93 km west south west of Pompano Beach, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Pompano Beach?
The sky over Pompano Beach is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Pompano Beach getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Pompano Beach has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - poor
Heavy light pollution to the north. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.
north-north-east - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the north-north-east horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
north-east - fair
Faint glow on the north-east horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
east-north-east - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the east-north-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
east - good
Dark sky in the east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
east-south-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the east-south-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
south-east - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the south-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
south-south-east - marginal
The south-south-east lower sky is measurably brighter than the darker quarters. Limit faint work to above about 20 degrees here.
south - poor
The south sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.
south-south-west - poor
Strong skyglow on the south-south-west horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.
south-west - poor
The south-west horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.
west-south-west - poor
The west-south-west sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.
west - marginal
The west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
west-north-west - marginal
The west-north-west lower sky is measurably brighter than the darker quarters. Limit faint work to above about 20 degrees here.
north-west - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the north-west horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
north-north-west - marginal
The north-north-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
zenith - poor
The overhead sky is washed out by artificial light. Constellation patterns are reduced to their brightest members.
-
Turkey Foot, Florida
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 92.7
- SQM
- 20.20
- Bortle
- 6
-
Monroe County, Florida
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 124
- SQM
- 20.35
- Bortle
- 5
-
Florida City, Florida
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 102.9
- SQM
- 19.80
- Bortle
- 6
-
City of Freeport
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 177.1
- SQM
- 21.55
- Bortle
- 3
-
Jc Durrance Road, Florida
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 149
- SQM
- 20.37
- Bortle
- 5
-
Shinn Road, Florida
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 131.8
- SQM
- 19.78
- Bortle
- 6